Daily El Pais journalist Diego Torres wrote an explosive column this Sunday in which he states that the Real Madrid players think they have already lost the race for La Liga’s title, and that manager José Mourinho will leave before the end of the season.

“The players are very pessimistic. They think the league is practically lost and that Mourinho will leave before the end of the season,” Torres said during a conversation with Catalunya Radio. He added, “The players think it is impossible to win La Liga because they have been playing in a predictable way that does not surprise the Spanish teams anymore.”

Torres also explained that there is a split inside Real Madrid’s locker room with two sides.

“There is a break up between Mourinho and the players, but there is also a break up among the players,” the journalist affirmed. “There is one group led by the Spanish and another group led by the Portuguese. [Angel] Di María is in the Portuguese group and [Gonzalo] Higuaín in the Spanish group. The squad is broken up because of Mourinho’s influence in the last two years.”

In his column in El Pais, Torres also mentions an example of how divided the locker room is and cites a person close to Mourinho’s environment who says, “If [Mourinho] stays for the next season, he will have to change half of the [Real Madrid] squad.”

Based on information from his sources, Torres also said that the players are not trying to have Mourinho fired but that they are tired of the accusations made to them by the Portuguese coach.

“The players are tired of Mourinho’s accusations. There was a big discomfort Saturday in the plane. The players think this situation will fall by itself and that they will look bad if they start a confrontation with Mourinho and that’s why they will not make any declaration. They are being very cautious with Mourinho’s accusations,” said Torres.

Real Madrid will play at home this Tuesday against Manchester City in this season’s UEFA Champions League debut. A loss could worsen the already strained relationships inside the club but a win over a big rival like the Citizens would bring some fresh air to Mourinho and his players.